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Highway Danger Zone: Busy stretch of I-4 seeing a dramatic increase in accidents

Crashes on I-4 at McIntosh Road have Gone Up 50%
Posted at 6:41 PM, Aug 24, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-24 18:41:35-04

These days the war on I-4 is between the drivers.

"I see people switch over two lanes and then stop in the middle of the interstate like it's a residential road. It's crazy," says Harold Marshall.

“In my drive through here I notice a lot of accidents,” says driver Martin Camaj.

Lisa Whidden is a mom who drives I-4 everyday. “It's stressful, people are in a hurry they only have one thing on their mind,” she says.

Russel Harwell is a cattle rancher who drives a big pick up truck along the increasingly busy stretch of I-4 near McIntosh Road. He says he's noticed drivers are getting more aggressive.

“It bugs me that your doing the speed limit and people are passing you doing 85,” says Harwell.

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, crashes on I-4 near McIntosh Road have increased every year between 2010 and 2014, which is the most recent available data.

The graphs look like a  city skyline that reach in one direction: Up.

62 wrecks in 2010, 80 accidents in 2011, 84 crashes in 2012, and 92 wrecks in 2013 and 2014.

That's a 50 percent increase from 2010 to 2014.

According to the FDOT data, July is the most dangerous month to drive this stretch of I-4, with 52 accidents in four July's between 2010 and 2016.

Most accidents happen at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. And the most dangerous day: Monday.

Drivers say the problem is that people put on the brakes too fast when they get to the other side of the McIntosh overpass.

But let's be honest, it's also the texting and driving.

We also broke it down by age group and we found drivers between the ages of 20 and 24 are involved in the most accidents on the stretch of I-4 near McIntosh Road.